Forgive me if I sound slow, but don&acute;t cataracts affect the lenses only? So, the entire eye would not be affected? I suspect it is possibly an eye infection of some sort (could be associated with a scratched cornea or not). Glaucoma? KCS? Sorry, but those sound more plausible given the generalized area.

Eyes in my opinion are not something to mess around with, but they can be amazingly forgiving and heal well. See what the vet says and go from there, but cataracts aren&acute;t the first thing to come to mind.

It DOES look like a corneal abrasion and/or primary or secondary eye infection. She even has scleral involvement which is consistent with irritation, not lens obstruction (cataracts). It doesn&acute;t appear as if the lens is involved at all.

The vet should stain it with fluorescein stain and check it for an ulcer. Steroid preparations should never be used if there is ulceration. If you have a BNP (bacitracin-neomycin-polymyxin) OPHTHALMIC preparation, that may be used in the interim (before you see the vet). You should see dramatic results with that antibiotic, if it is an abrasion or infection, within 12-24 hours. There could also be a foreign body tucked in the lids also.

If the above doesn&acute;t work or produce results, your vet may want to do a more thorough ophthalmic exam for another problem, such as KCS or glaucoma.

Last edited by Josephine on Mon Feb 18, 2002 12:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

Right. I&acute;m sorry I didn&acute;t make that clear. It is also personal preference and experience that leads me to go directly to BNP. I (as well as many vets) think it is the standard for safe and effective eye treatment.

Gentocin (with or without steroids), while also useful, has its own side effects and indications. I tend not to use it unless there isn&acute;t anything else that will work. It got pulled off of the market here in the U.S. I&acute;m not sure we can even buy it for veterinary use right now or ever again. I think it went the way of the dinosaurs!

Last edited by Josephine on Mon Feb 18, 2002 12:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

Yes, it was just the ophthalmic Gentocin that they were REALLY concerned about. The injectible and systemic forms are still available in some places. I think it costs a bit also. It&acute;s like the chlorhexiderm incident. The manufacturers pulled all of the otic products with chlorhex since it was found to cause ear problems. You can still get plain chlorhex, but none of it is labeled for usage in the ears!

Yeah go ahead and use the BNP eye ointment. Use a bit on the upper or lower lid and shut the eye to spread it over the entire cornea. You might want to use a sterile saline eyewash in case there is debris that could be rinsed out before applying the ointment. It appears as if there is some vascularization already (eye trying to heal itself), but I&acute;m not sure due to the pictures. The last one looks like there is something in the lower lid perhaps? Does anyone else see it? Ah, maybe it is just the dark pigment of the eyelid. I&acute;m curious as to what it will look like tomorrow after treatment.

Last edited by Josephine on Mon Feb 18, 2002 12:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

No prob getting Gentocin in Canada. Also have used Cipro eye drops. I haven&acute;t had much success with BNP. My favourite, although pricy, is Chloralean(eye version of Chloramphenicol). But you have to watch it doesn&acute;t come in contact with your skin.

It&acute;s very weird the difference of med availability. I have a pig on Metacam which isn&acute;t available in the States for animals.

She did the stain. She said it&acute;s a corneal laceration. The eye is swollen. She&acute;s worried about an abscess behind it. I have a new ointment - Gentak 3x daily. And Baytril. Keeping the appt with my vet for Thursday pm. I&acute;m to keep an eye on the eye! :)

Treated quickly with the right meds these things usually come out fine. You should see improvements within a day. On really bad eye injuries we&acute;ve had to get up at night to give eye drops every 2 hours. Haven&acute;t lost an eye yet.